Notebook: Joseph nominated for another award

JaimeLee Gouthro/Cape Breton Eagles

MONCTON - Saint John Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph was named a finalist for the QMJHL's Sidney Crosby Trophy, which is awarded annually to the league's rookie of the year.

Moncton Wildcats defenseman Tommy Bleyl won the award. Victoriaville Tigres forward Egor Shilov was also nominated.

From the league's press release:

Joseph finished sixth in rookie scoring with 60 points (24 goals, 36 assists) in 54 games. Notably, he was the only 16-year-old player in the top six. In addition to 18 power-play points, he led all rookies with four shorthanded goals. The Sea Dogs’ second-leading scorer, Joseph will not be eligible for the NHL Draft until 2027.

Joseph was also nominated for the Michel-Bergeron Trophy, which is awarded annually to the offensive rookie of the year, and the Paul-Dumont Trophy, which is awarded to the personality of the year.

Bleyl, meanwhile, was also named the QMJHL's defenseman of the year.

LONGEST SEA DOGS GAME

How does the longest game in Sea Dogs history compare to Thursday's four overtime contest between the Moncton Wildcats and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada?

The Sea Dogs have never had a game go beyond double overtime – but they came very close twice during the 2011 President Cup final against the Gatineau Olympiques. Game 4 of that series is the longest in Sea Digs history, lasting 99:16 with Ryan Tesink scoring at 19:16 of the second overtime. The second longest is Game 6, which lasted 95:45 and ended at 15:45 of the second overtime with Alexandre Beauregard scoring the Cup clinching goal.

Saint John has only gone to double overtime four times in team history.

Thursday's game between the Wildcats and Armada was the fifth longest in league history.

Notebook: Five Sea Dogs make NHL Central Scouting final rankings

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Five Saint John Sea Dogs were listed in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.

Olivers Murnieks, Cameron Chartrand, William Yared and Dylan Rozzi were all ranked amongst North American skaters while Rafaël Courchesne was listed amongst North American goaltenders.

98 - Olivers Murnieks

155 - Cameron Chartrand

172 - William Yared

195 - Dylan Rozzi

27 - Rafaël Courchesne

Penn State forward Gavin McKenna was the top-ranked skater. Quebec Remparts forward Maddox Dagenais was the top-ranked skater from the QMJHL at No. 15.

Fredericton's Tynan Lawrence, the younger brother of former Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence, was ranked seventh.

The full rankings can be found here.

The 2026 NHL Draft takes place June 26-27.

JOSEPH NOMINATED

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph was nominated for two QMJHL awards.

Joseph was nominated for the Michel-Bergeron Trophy, which is awarded annually to the offensive rookie of the year, and the Paul-Dumont Trophy, which is awarded to the personality of the year.

Victoriaville Tigres forward Egor Shilov won the Michel-Bergeron Trophy while Newfound Regiment president Glenn Stanford won the Paul-Dumont Trophy.

Jonathan Huberdeau won the Paul-Dumont Trophy in 2012 while Thomas Chabot won in 2017. No Sea Dog has ever won the Michel-Bergeron Trophy.

SUMMERSIDE ELIMINATED

The Summerside Western Capitals had their Maritime Junior Hockey League playoff run come to an end last week.

The Western Capitals fell 3-2 to the Truro Bearcats in Game 7 of the North Division final on Thursday in Summerside. The Bearcats advance to the MHL final where they'll face the Edmundston Blizzard.

Summerside is hosting this year's Centennial Cup national championship. Their first game is on May 7 against the Manitoba Junior Hockey League champions.

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Matthew MacLean had an assist in Game 7, giving him a goal and six helpers in 14 playoff games. Goaltender Justin Robinson only made one appearance, going 0-1.

Notebook: Lottery odds announced

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will have a 4.8% chance of winning the first overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft lottery.

The lottery will take place April 21 at 7:30 p.m. Atlantic and be broadcast live on RDS, the league announced this week.

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who own the Baie-Comeau Drakkar's top pick, will have the best odds of winning followed by the Halifax Mooseheads – who are hosting this year's draft. The full odds are below.

18th position: Rouyn-Noranda (from Baie-Comeau) – 9 balls – 42.9% 

17th position: Halifax (from Rimouski) – 6 balls – 28.6% 

16th position: Shawinigan (from Gatineau) – 3 balls – 14.3% 

15th position: Victoriaville – 2 balls – 9.5% 

14th position: Saint John – 1 ball – 4.8%

The Sea Dogs have had good fortune in the draft lottery over the years. They won last year's and went on to select Alexis Joseph with the first overall pick.

The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place June 5-6 in Halifax.

JOSEPH MAKES ROOKIE TEAM

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph has been named to the QMJHL's rookie all-star team, the league announced this week.

Joseph finished sixth in rookie scoring, posting 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 games.

The full team is below.

Goaltender : Jan Larys, Drummondville 

Defenseman : Tommy Bleyl, Moncton 

Defenseman : Malik L’Italien, Halifax 

Forward : Egor Shilov, Victoriaville 

Forward : Alexey Vlasov, Victoriaville 

Forward : Alexis Joseph, Saint John

The QMJHL also announced its first and second all-star teams.

Notebook: Joseph ranked second in 2027 draft rankings

JaimeLee Gouthro/Cape Breton Eagles

The 2027 NHL Draft hype for Saint John Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph continues to grow.

In The Athletic's 2027 draft rankings that were released this week, Joseph was ranked second behind Everett Silvertips defenseman Landon Dupont.

"Joseph, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 QMJHL draft, is a big, strong, athletic, pro-built at an early age center with skill and a strong skating stride," writes Scott Wheeler. "He was dominant at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November, leading Canada Red to gold and the tournament in goals with six in five games, and has been a top player on a rebuilding under-.500 team in Saint John this year, playing to above a point per game."

Joseph finished his rookie season with 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 games. He added three assists in four playoff games.

Sea Dogs draft picks Jamie Glance and Finnegan Sears were both honourable mentions in the rankings. Both played with the USNTDP this season. Glance is committed to Boston University for the 2027-28 season while Sears is committed to Boston College.

MCCALLUM TURNS PRO

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Kale McCallum has signed with the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions, it was announced this week. He made his debut on Friday, recording two shots in a 2-1 win over the Maine Mariners.

McCallum spent this past season with the NCAA's Providence College Friars where he posted five goals and nine assists in 31 games.

The 24-year-old spent parts of the previous three seasons with the UNB Reds.

McCallum, who played with the Saint John Vito's and at Rothesay Netherwood, spent the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with the Sea Dogs before being traded to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

Sea Dogs announce award winners

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs captain Olivier Groulx has been named the team's most valuable player for the 2025-26 season.

Groulx guided a young Sea Dogs team through a challenging season. He finished the year with a team high 66 points and was tied for fourth in goals with 20.

Along with MVP honours, Groulx won the club's top scorer award, players' choice MVP honour and was named top defensive forward.

The Sea Dogs announced the full list of team award winners on social media on Wednesday.

Pepsi Top Scorer — Olivier Groulx 

McDonald's Rookie of the Year — Alexis Joseph 

TD Community Impact Award — Alex Donovan 

Alpine Three Stars Award — Alexis Joseph 

Mike Thomas Players' Choice MVP — Olivier Groulx 

SJ Airport Student-Athlete of the Year — Alexis Joseph 

Irving Oil Team Player Award — Angelo Fullerton 

Make-A-Wish Fan Choice Award — Zach Morin 

Deloitte Top Defensive Forward — Olivier Groulx 

Tim Horton's Most Improved Player — Angelo Fullerton 

NTI Boilers Top Defenceman — Olivier Duhamel 

Bell Aliant Most Valuable Player — Olivier Groulx

Last season, Groulx took home the top scorer, top defensive forward and most improved player awards.

This is the second straight year Zachary Morin won the fan choice award.

The Sea Dogs begin the QMJHL playoffs on Friday when they visit the Moncton Wildcats.

Wildcats were regular season's best

Embed from Getty Images 

The Moncton Wildcats have already won some hardware this season.

The Wildcats clinched the QMJHL's regular season title a few weeks ago, meaning they will be presented with the Jean Rougeau Trophy. It's just the second time the team has won the trophy with the other being in 2005-06 when they hosted the Memorial Cup.

Moncton finished the regular season with a 53-9-2-0 record for 108 points and a .844 winning percentage. For comparison, the 2010-11 Saint John Sea Dogs went 58-7-1-2 for 119 points (playing four more games) and a .875 winning percentage. 

The Wildcats also won the Robert Lebel Trophy (team with the best goals against average) and Luc Robitaille Trophy (team with the best goals for average).

The Sea Dogs won all three of those trophies when they won the Memorial Cup in 2011 as did the Halifax Mooseheads in 2013.

Moncton enters the playoffs having won 15 straight games. They'll play the Quebec Remparts in the opening round.

A few other Monday notes... 

• 17-year-old goaltender William Lacelle of the Rimouski Oceanic won the Jacques Plante Trophy for the QMJHL's best goals against average. From the league: "in his rookie season, Lacelle wins the Jacques Plante Trophy thanks to his 2.38 goals against average, a slight edge ahead of 20-year-old veteran Jacob Steinman (2.41) of the Halifax Mooseheads. Rimouski’s netminder completes his first season with a 27-5-1-2 record, a .909% save percentage and three shutouts."
• For the first time in program history, the Ottawa Gee-Gees are University Cup champions. The Gee-Gees defeated the Concordia Stingers 3-2 in Sunday's championship game at TD Place in Ottawa. Former Sea Dogs goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise allowed three goals on 14 shots in the loss.
• Ottawa entered the tournament as the eighth seed, having not played a game since Feb. 28. The hosts upset UNB on Thursday, TMU on Saturday and then ended things by holding off Concordia Sunday night. While it's become common for a host team to win the Memorial Cup after a long break, this is quite uncommon at the University Cup tournament.
• Along with Hurtubise, the Stingers included former Sea Dogs Nicholas Girouard, Christopher Inniss, Charles Savoie and Isiah Campbell.
• In Sunday afternoon's bronze medal game, Kevin Gursoy, Joseph Ianniello and the TMU Bold fell 4-1 to the Saskatchewan Huskies. Gursoy scored in the loss with Ianniello picking up an assist.
• Former QMJHL goaltender Francesco Lapenna of the Gee-Gees was named tournament MVP.

  🏒MHKY: Franky Lapenna of Ottawa is the Tournament MVP of the 2025 BioSteel U SPORTS University Cup!
  
  🏒HCKM: Franky Lapenna, d’Ottawa, est le Joueur par excellence du tournoi de la Coupe Universitaire U SPORTS BioSteel 2025 ! pic.twitter.com/oAFe06mcHv

  — U SPORTS Hockey (@USPORTS_Hockey) March 23, 2025

• The Gee-Gees are the first Ontario based team to win the University Cup since the Western Mustangs in 2002.
• In the MHL playoffs, the Pictou County Weeks Crushers completed the upset of the Summerside Western Capitals, winning the first round series in five games. The Western Capitals were the second best team in the regular season behind the Edmundston Blizzard.
• Heading into Monday's action, Amherst/Truro along with West Kent/Campbellton were both tied 2-2. Edmundston leads Miramichi 3-1.

Sea Dogs announce award winners

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The award winners are in.

The Saint John Sea Dogs (very quietly) held their annual team awards banquet on Tuesday night at The Country Club on The Boardwalk.

Captain Nate Tivey was the big winner, being named the team's most valuable player, top scorer (one of them, anyways), top defenseman and taking home the player's choice award.

It's the second straight year that Tivey, who is playing his overage season, was named the club's top defenseman.

Forward Olivier Groulx also won four awards. The full list of winners is below.

Customer Service Award - Justin Robinson

Most Valuable Player - Nate Tivey

Rookie of the Year - Dylan Rozzi

Team Player Award - Matteo Mann

Academic Player of the Year - Justin Robinson

Fan Choice Award - Zachary Morin

Three Stars Award - Olivier Groulx

Top Scorer Award - Nate Tivey and Olivier Groulx

Top Defensive Forward - Olivier Groulx

Player's Choice - Nate Tivey

Top Defenseman Award - Nate Tivey

Most Improved Player - Olivier Groulx

The Sea Dogs website has a full list of previous award winners.

This is the first time the top scorer award has been split by two players. Groulx and Tivey are currently tied with 39 points each – but there are two games still to play.

The Sea Dogs host the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday night and Saturday afternoon at TD Station to close out regular season play.

Mateiko named Sea Dogs' MVP

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Eriks Mateiko was the big winner at the 2024 Saint John Sea Dogs Awards Banquet, which was held Tuesday evening.

Mateiko was, unsurprisingly, named the team's most valuable player along with picking up the awards for top scorer, team player and top defensive award.

Overage goaltender Patrick Leaver, meanwhile, won two awards, taking home the three stars and players choice trophies.

Here's the full list of winners:

Top Scorer: Eriks Mateiko

Rookie of the Year: Justin Robinson

Community Service: Nico Laforge

Three Stars: Patrick Leaver

Players Choice: Patrick Leaver

Academic Award: Jacob Beaulieu

Team Player: Eriks Mateiko

Fan Choice Award: Drew Elliott

Top Defensive Forward: Eriks Mateiko

Most Improved Player: Benjamin Amyot

Top Defenseman: Nate Tivey

Most Valuable Player: Eriks Mateiko

Mateiko only took home one award at last year's event: most improved player. Mateiko and Nico Laforge are the only winners from last year's awards still with the team.

The Sea Dogs are back in action on Thursday when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7 p.m.

Notebook: Roy scores first NHL goal

Embed from Getty Images

SAINT JOHN - Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy netted his first career NHL goal on Wednesday.

Roy scored in the Montreal Canadiens' 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. The 20-year-old was playing in just his third NHL game after getting recalled from the AHL's Laval Rocket last week.

Roy, the first overall pick in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft, spent his first one-and-a-half seasons of junior hockey with the Sea Dogs before being traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix.

SCHEDULE TALK

QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini spoke with the Wildcast Podcast on his trip through New Brunswick last week. Cecchini had a few interesting comments on potential changes to the league's schedule and the format for this year's QMJHL Entry Draft in Moncton.

Notebook: Sea Dogs host Eagles in back-to-back this weekend

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - A couple of familiar faces will be on the ice at TD Station this weekend.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forwards Cam MacDonald and Cole Burbidge will presumably be in the Cape Breton Eagles lineup on Friday and Saturday. MacDonald was released from his tryout with the Arizona Coyotes earlier this week.

MacDonald, who helped the Sea Dogs win the Memorial Cup in 2022, made his TD Station return last season when he was a member of the Gatineau Olympiques. Burbidge, who was traded to Cape Breton in August, will be playing his first game against Saint John.

Burbidge had an impressive first QMJHL season with the Sea Dogs last year, recording 19 goals and 50 points in 68 games. Like most players on the Eagles, he's been held pointless through the first two games of this season.

Cape Breton had a rough opening weekend, dropping back-to-back home games to the Moncton Wildcats and getting outscored 13-1 in the process. 

Both Friday and Saturday games are 7 p.m. starts.

THEME NIGHTS

The Sea Dogs have announced their first few theme nights of the season.

As was indicated on the TD Station boards, the Sea Dogs will welcome Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall on Oct. 21 and on Nov. 13, the Sea Dogs will host a Taylor Swift Tribute. Note that the Nov. 13 game is on a Monday (a holiday for many) at 2 p.m.

The team also announced on social media Wednesday that the club's Nov. 3 game against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan will be the annual Hockey Fights Cancer Game with performances by The Artificially Hip.

Notebook: Game 5 goes Friday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs' season will be on the line Friday night at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs trail the Gatineau Olympiques 3-1 in their first round best-of-seven playoff series heading into Friday evening's Game 5. Saint John edged Gatineau 3-2 in Tuesday's Game 3 before the heavily favoured Olympiques rebounded with a 6-0 win in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Both games featured some of the smallest crowds in Sea Dogs franchise history. The team is offering $7 tickets for Friday's contest.

#SaintJohn
Pack the Station for Game 5 on Friday, the 7th at 7PM with $7 tickets!
Get yours today at https://t.co/lIDh3lSuEE or stop in the Box Office before tonight's game! #CityofChampions pic.twitter.com/LlQSpDqiqQ

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) April 5, 2023

Game time for Game 5 is 7 p.m.

SERIES LEADERS

With 11 points in four games, Gatineau forward Zach Dean leads the entire QMJHL in playoff scoring. Alexis Gendron, meanwhile, has a league high eight goals. Gendron has record two hat tricks already.

Riley Kidney of the Olympiques leads the league in assists with eight.

Gatineau has outscored Saint John 24-4 in the series. Francesco Lapenna is the only netminder to record two shutouts so far.

On the Saint John side, Peter Reynolds has carried his strong end to the regular season into the playoffs, registering three assists. Brady Burns and Noah Reinhart, meanwhile, each have a goal and an assist.

Sea Dogs announce team award winners

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Brady Burns was the big winner at the Saint John Sea Dogs' annual awards banquet.

Held Wednesday night at the Imperial Theatre, Burns was named the club's most valuable player for the 2022-23 season while also earning the Fan Choice Award. The 20-year-old also collected the team's top scorer and three stars awards.

Burns, in his overage season with the Sea Dogs, is just two points away from tying Jonathan Huberdeau's franchise points record of 257.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Top Scorer Award: Brady Burns

Three Stars Award: Brady Burns

Community Service Award: Vincent Despont

Rookie of the Year Award: Cole Burbidge

Players' Choice MVP Award: Charlie DesRoches

Academic Player of the Year Award: Nico Laforge

Team Player Award: Jared Cosman

Most Improved Player Award: Eriks Mateiko

Top Defensive Forward Award: Noah Reinhart

Fans Choice Award: Brady Burns

Top Defenseman Award: Charlie DesRoches

MVP Award: Brady Burns

To give a sense of the team's roster turnover over the past 12 months, not a single award winner from last season played for the Sea Dogs this year.

The all-time list of team award winners can be found on the Sea Dogs website.

Notebook: Dufour makes first all-star team

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Saint John Sea Dogs forward William Dufour, who was recently named the QMJHL's most valuable player, has been named to the league's first all-star team.

Former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy was also named to the team.

The cream of the crop! Here are your First Team All-Stars for the 2021-22 season! 🤩#GoldenPuck | #QMJHL

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) June 17, 2022

Goaltender Samuel Richard will join Gardiner MacDougall's UNB Reds next season.

Dufour will be the QMJHL's representative for the CHL player of the year award.

FEDS MONEY

Saint John MP Wayne Long held a press conference at Market Square Friday, announcing a $1 million contribution to the 2022 Memorial Cup.

The Memorial Cup is here!

I'm thrilled to announce $1M federal from ACOA to support the Memorial Cup. You can feel the momentum in Saint John!

This funding is supporting the new ball hockey rink, as well as upgrades to TD Station, the press box, and Wi-Fi. pic.twitter.com/el2mzES6K1

— Wayne Long (@MPWayneLong) June 17, 2022

According to news release, "funding for this project is provided through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program."

The money will "support marketing, promotional and Fanfest activities such as the concert series and an outdoor ball hockey facility, as well as infrastructure including VIP tents, staging, lighting, press box upgrades, and wi-fi improvements."

Dufour named QMJHL MVP

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - William Dufour has been named the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's most valuable player for the 2021-22 season.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forward was announced as the winner of the league's Michel-Brière Trophy Wednesday afternoon. Former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy, now with the Sherbrooke Phoenix, and defenseman Lukas Cormier of the Charlottetown Islanders were the other nominees.

Dufour's mother, Karine Côté, recently made the announcement via video at the Area 506 Waterfront Container Village.

.@SJSeaDogs forward William Dufour has been named the MVP of the 2021-22 season!

The @NYIslanders prospect set career highs across the board this year with 116 points (56G-60A) in 66 games, more than doubling his previous best 55-point campaign. 🏆#GoldenPuck | #QMJHL

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) June 15, 2022

The New York Islanders prospect had the best offensive season in Sea Dogs franchise history in 2021-22, setting team records for both goals (56) and points (116) in a single campaign.

First QMJHL Player to hit 50 goals since 2018
116 point season
1.76 Points per game

William Dufour is your 2021-22 QMJHL MVP! 👏#CityofChampions @NYIslanders pic.twitter.com/8tGycAbVMu

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 15, 2022

The Sea Dogs acquired Dufour from the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the off-season. The 20-year-old will likely play in the American Hockey League next year.

Dufour is just the second Sea Dog to ever be named league MVP. Mike Hoffman won the award during the 2009-10 season.

Notebook: Sea Dogs opening new shop

SAINT JOHN - A new retail shop is in the works for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

It was announced Friday that the team will soon be opening a Sea Dogs Styles location at the new waterfront Area 506 Container Village.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by AREA 506 (@area506fest)

The area will be home to Bash on the Bay events during the 2022 Memorial Cup.

The Sea Dogs are looking to hire a retail sales representative to work at the location.

NOMINATED

Three Sea Dogs were nominated for league awards this week.

Team captain Vincent Sevigny was nominated for the QMJHL's best defensive defenseman award. Charlottetown's Noah Laaouan won the award.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect William Villeneuve was nominated for the league's top defenseman award. Charlottetown's Lukas Cormier took home the honour.

Lastly, forward Nicholas Blagden was nominated for the QMJHL's Humanitarian of the Year award for his involvement in raising awareness around mental health issues. Charlottetown's Brett Budgell won the award.

MORE ON MACDOUGALL

A few more notes on the Gardiner MacDougall hire:

• MacDougall and team president and general manager Trevor Georgie were on CBC Radio's Information Morning Thursday.
• The UNB Reds have commented on MacDougall joining the Sea Dogs temporarily. "The Reds and the University of New Brunswick wish Coach MacDougall, the Sea Dogs and Sea Dogs’ fans all the best during the upcoming Canadian Hockey League championship tournament," reads the Reds website. Associate coach Rob Hennigar will run the Reds in MacDougall's absence.
• Bill Hunt has a column on the MacDougall news in the Daily Gleaner (paywall) and asks a few critical questions on the unexpected hiring.
• In the Sea Dogs' Tuesday press release that made the MacDougall hiring official, Georgie said that the team "identified a small group of winning coaches with experience having won tournaments. There are no active coaches in Canada that have prepared teams for and won more tournaments than Gardiner." On the Monday edition of Sportsnet's 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman said that he "heard they took some big swings at some other coaches." Jeff Marek added that "there were some names out there."

Sea Dogs announce team award winners

Sea Dogs Twitter

SAINT JOHN - William Dufour was the big winner at the annual Saint John Sea Dogs awards banquet on Monday night at the Imperial Theatre.

Dufour, who currently leads the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in points and goals, won three awards, including most valuable player.

Here's the full list of award winners:

Top Scorer Award: William Dufour

Three Stars Award: Philippe Daoust

Community Service Award: Nicholas Blagden

Rookie of the Year Award: Thomas Couture

Players' Choice MVP Award: William Dufour

Academic Player of the Year Award: William Villeneuve

Team Player Award: Riley Bezeau

Most Improved Player Award: Josh Lawrence

Top Defensive Forward Award: Raivis Ansons

Fans Choice Award: Jeremie Poirier

Top Defenseman Award: Vincent Sevigny

MVP Award: William Dufour

MC Jon Quinn also interviewed the core group of players Saint John selected in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft: William Villeneuve, Jeremie Poirier, Brady Burns, Josh Lawrence and Charlie DesRoches.

Lawrence and Dufour were also honoured for breaking some individual offensive records this season.

The event ended with players honouring their billet families.

The all-time list of team award winners can be found on the Sea Dogs website. The banquet can be watched in its entirety below.

Notebook: It's QMJHL Entry Draft week

QMJHL

The 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft is just a few days away.

With the draft being virtual for a second straight year (and hopefully for the final time), it feels kind of quiet compared to normal years. A lot of the trade buzz happened a few weeks ago and now we wait to see what actually unfolds over the next few days.

I'm getting a lot of people messaging about when the QMJHL trade period opens.

The league's trade period opens Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Atlantic time. After that time, it will reopen during the draft, which begins Friday night with the first-round.

— Jeremy Fraser (@CBPost_Jeremy) June 21, 2021

The first-round of the draft will be held on Friday night and will be broadcast on the league's YouTube channel. Rounds 2-14 and the two-round American draft will take place the next day.

The CHL Import Draft will be held on Wednesday, June 30.

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
The QMJHL very quietly announced its rookie all-star team last week.

Sea Dogs forward Peter Reynolds cracked the lineup after recording 15 goals and 16 assists in 33 regular season games. His 31 points placed him in a tie for second most points amongst QMJHL rookies.

Reynolds added a goal and three assists in six playoff games.

Also making the rookie all-star team were forwards Justin Cote of the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Antoine Verreault of the Gatineau Olympiques; defensmen Tristan Luneau of the Olympiques and Evan Nause of the Quebec Remparts; and goaltender Chad Arsenault of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

DRAFT RANKINGS

Peter Reynolds was ranked 147th overall in Cory Pronman's top-151 prospects list for the 2021 NHL Draft, which was posted last week on The Athletic.

Pronman's review of Reynolds was not overly positive, writing "Reynolds’ skill gives him a chance to play in the NHL, but he’s a small, low-pace player which likely won’t translate."

Former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy was ranked 97th.

Notebook: Import Draft order announced

Michael Hawking/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Canadian Hockey League announced the order for the 2021 CHL Import Draft on Thursday.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar will select first overall followed by the WHL's Everett Silvertips and the OHL's Barrie Colts.

The Saint John Sea Dogs are scheduled to pick 22nd and 82nd overall, respectively. Those choices could move up (the second definitely will) with teams opting to pass on their choices.

Oddly enough, the Sea Dogs had the 23rd and 83rd overall picks in the 2020 CHL Import Draft when they picked forward Fyodor Svechkov and defenseman Jan Hampl. It's unlikely that Svechkov will report and it's unclear what Hampl's status is with the Sea Dogs.

Overager Vladislav Kotkov, acquired via trade, was the only import to dress for Saint John last season.

The Import Draft takes place on Wednesday, June 30 beginning at noon Atlantic time.

SEASON TICKET INFO RELEASED

The Sea Dogs released season ticket information for the 2021-22 season earlier this week.

Senior and adult pricing remain the same as last season even with the schedule returning to the usual 34 home games (an increase of four games from the planned 30 last year). Only one pricing option is available for fans under-25.

The Flex 34 package is also returning with pandemic restrictions hopefully eliminated come opening night in October.

Single game tickets go on sale Sept. 21.

More details and key dates are available on the Sea Dogs website.

Villeneuve named to second all-star team

William Villeneuve is often overshadowed by Jeremie Poirier - but that didn't happen with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's all-star teams.

Villeneuve was named to the league's second all-star team on Friday, joining Cape Breton Eagles d-man Adam McCormick on the backend. Forwards Felix Robert (Sherbrooke), Alex-Olivier Voyer (Sherbrooke) and Jakob Pelletier (Moncton) along with goaltender Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke) were also named to the team.

Villeneuve, the second overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, had a breakout season offensively, recording nine goals and 49 assists in 64 games. He led all QMJHL defensemen in both points (58) and assists (49).

The 18-year-old will no doubt hear his name called in the first few rounds of the NHL Draft (whenever that takes place).

Villeneuve was nominated for the league's defensemen of the year along with Jordan Spence (Moncton) and Justin Bergeron (Rimouski). Spence won the award (which was presented by former Sea Dog Thomas Chabot).

No Sea Dogs made the league's first all-star or rookie all-star teams.

Sea Dogs rookie forward Joshua Roy, the first overall pick in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft, had a strong rookie campaign - especially in the second half - but it's hard to argue that he had a better overall season than those who made the team. Roy finished the season with 16 goals and 28 assists in 60 games. 26 of his 44 points came in the new year.

D'Orio named Sea Dogs MVP

The Saint John Sea Dogs held their annual awards banquet on Tuesday night at the Delta Brunswick.

To the shock on nobody, goaltender Alex D'Orio took home the major piece of hardware, winning the team's Most Valuable Player Award. He also won the Three Stars Award. 

There weren't many surprises at this year's awards show. Here's the full list of winners:

Bell Aliant Most Valuable Player: Alex D'Orio
Alpine Three Stars: Alex D'Orio
Grant Thornton Rookie of the Year: Ostap Safin
Pepsi Top Scorer: Ostap Safin
Scotiabank Community Service: Bailey Webster
Irving Oil Team Player: Bailey Webster
Sun Life Global Investments Top Defenceman: Radim Salda
Saint John Airport Academic Player of the Year: Matt Green

D'Orio is the fourth goaltender to be named Sea Dogs MVP, joining Jason Churchill (2005-06), Sebastien Auger (2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15) and Marc-Antoine Turcotte (2015-16).

The Sea Dogs wrap up the 2017-18 season this week with three road games.